Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2016-07-24 01:03
I have one of the new Buffet Traditions, It is one of the best clarinets I've ever played. And I have played them all, Ok I haven't tried the high end uebels. I found the Build on the Tradition at the same level as my Divine and the Toscas. I've had some work done on them more to get them to "feel" like instruments that I already play.
I have not had thumb rests break, nylon pivots crack. I was very pleaseantly surprized that the Tradition was the price it was not as expensive as either my Divine or Tosca.
I have to give Buffet credit on this clarinet "tradition", I think it plays and sounds differntly than the RC and R13 Bores. Does that make it "Better" than the Divine or Tosca, is it the Best clarinet Buffet makes. I have people message me all the time saying that things I've recorded on this clarinet sounds better than on the other clarinet. I think as a player after the first 15 miuntes you are going to sound like you. The choice of what clarinet I'm playing has to do more with the "ease" of playing and what kind of sounds I'm I trying to play with.
For me when I'm playing with Piano and or Strings, I love the sound of the Divine, when I'm in middle of a concert band the Tosca has a density of sound that make it a lot easier to feel like you're present. I'm finding for the type of comercial gigs I do, Klezmer, Choro, jazz. I'm really liking the sound and especially the "ease of playing" that the Tradition offers.
Here is a little choro that I've recorded on it the other day.
https://soundcloud.com/klezmertom/um-chorinho-em-montevdeu
I'm always amazed at how many people will review an instrument that they don't own, and have never played. I've been playing different clarinets for a few years now and really untill if played it for 6 months I can't really begin to make any of the claims and assertions that some people make on a "five minute" test playing. I haven't found that I need to play through 15 clarinets to find one that works either. I've played through all the stock of R13s at my local Music and Arts center and I would have played on any of the instruemtns that I had tried. And yes, I probably would have had some adjustments to any of them to make them feel the way I like.
I switche back to playing Buffet clarinet about a year and half ago becuase, like it or not, there is, to my ear at least, a very distictive "Buffet" sound, it's a certain kind of "ring" in the sound that all of my teachers had, all the people that I listened to had, and that I have when I play on one. I am elated that the "Buffet" sound seems "broader" to me than it did when the only clarinet was the r-13. Some people complain about the low F correction key, "why wasn't it done like this other company did it", until you start finding out that on some super freaky high notes that key does some magic. Almost like the "gizmo" key on the flute. Was that it's intention, no but there are some "off label" use for it.
I do think that a whole bunch of this "clarinet discussion" sometimes is used to try to prove that a certain player, is "more sensitive" more "deserning" or they make more "demands" on their instruments than others. To that I have to add something that Leon Russianoff once turned to me in a lesson and said, "Tom, sometimes you just have to put it in your mouth and just blow the damn thing" 35 years later I get it.
Tom Puwalski
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The Clarinet BBoard
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